The present invention relates to a golf club head, and more particularly to an improved iron-type golf club head with a cavity formed in its rear face (so-called "cavity-back" iron).
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a conventional golf club head has a hosel 2 in which a club shaft 1 is inserted and fixed. The hosel 2 is formed integrally with a striking face portion 3, rear face 4, heel portion 5, toe portion 6 and a sole portion 7 of the club head. The rear face 4 has a cavity 41 formed therein. The heel portion 5 and toe portion 6 are formed thick while the striking face portion 3 is thin, for a higher moment of inertia. In the conventional club head, the cavity 41 is defined by an upper rib 8, lower rib 9, heel-side rib 10 and toe-side rib 11. Some of the conventional club heads with no such upper rib 8 or no such upper and lower ribs 8 and 9 have the cavity 41 formed in its rear face 4.
In the conventional so-called cavity-back type club head, the club head material which would otherwise exist in the place of the cavity 41 is distributed at the heel and toe portions. 5 and 6 to decrease the club head gyration when striking a ball at a point off from the center of the striking face 3 toward the toe portion 6 of the club head (so-called toe hit). To reduce gyration of the club head and increase the moment of inertia, it is effective to give an additional weight to the heel portion 5 and toe portion 6. However, the weight of the club head is limited and should not be limitlessly increased. Thus, when the club head weight is so increased, the striking face portion 3 thickness has to be reduced accordingly. Thus even when a ball is hit at a central area, namely, at the so-called sweet spot 30 on the striking face 3, a good feel from hitting is not obtained because the striking face portion 3 is so thin. Indeed, the traditional club head having no cavity 41 formed therein provides a good feel, but no reduction of head gyration on off-center hits is achieved.